Neil Henderson

The father of missing Glenrothes man Allan Bryant is to petition the Scottish Justice Secretary calling for him to appoint a new police team to take over the investigation into his son’s disappearance.

Mr Bryant Snr said his family had been “consistently and repeatedly failed” by those leading the search into his son’s whereabouts, and would call on Michael Matheson MSP, the Scottish Government’s Minister for Community Safety and Legal Affairs, to bring in a fresh investigative team to take on the case.

Glenrothes man Allan Bryant has been missing since November 3, 2013.

“We firmly believe that the investigation has been handled badly, and unprofessionally since its inception on November 4, 2013,” said Mr Bryant Snr.

“My family has been failed, and continues to be failed by Fife Constabulary.”

Complaints have previously been made by the Bryant family to Police Scotland’s Professional Standards Dept. in 2016, and also to PIRC in 2017.

The Professional Standards Dept and PIRC have each upheld several, sometimes differing, parts of the complaints.

More than 2000 signed the online petition in the first 24 hours since it was set up and the family now want the Minister to act on their continuing heartache.

However, Police Scotland says it remains fully committed to do all it can to find the missing man.

A spokesman for Police Scotland said: “The Major Investigation Team has been assisted by numerous specialists, and we continue to assess, evaluate and action any new information which comes in that might assist our investigation.”

Despite an extensive investigation and a high-profile media campaign, no trace of Allan Bryant, has been found since he was caught on CCTV leaving Styx nightclub in Glenrothes in the early hours of November 3, 2013.

Throughout the four year ordeal, the missing man’s father Allan Bryant Snr has had a fractured relationship with officers leading the efforts to find his son.

From the outset, when police failed to position an incident van outside the nightclub, and later when it was revealed that officers had failed to gather all of the CCTV, some of which was later destroyed, Mr Bryant Snr has been at odds with the police.

In 2017 the Police Investigations and Review Commissioner (PIRC) upheld a number of the family’s complaints about the police’s handling of the missing person search.

“The mistakes and the constant failings by Police Scotland in the search for Allan have been disgraceful and hard to live with at times,” said Mr Bryant Snr.

“I’m not being kept informed of developments or what plans those investigating my son’s disappearance have to find my son.”

“I now have to call 101 and often wait several days for a response and I wasn’t even told the investigating team had relocated from Kirkcaldy to Dunfermline.

“It’s now time to bring in a fresh investigating team to take up my son’s case.

“We know we have the public’s backing for this and we will demonstrate that to the Justice Minister Michael Matheson with our petition that backs up our case.”

Police investigating the disappearance have renewed their appeal for the public to come forward with any information .

“We continue to appeal for anyone who has information about Allan’s disappearance to contact us.

“We remain in regular contact with Allan’s family, updating them on our work as it progresses,” added a spokesman for Police Scotland.